Kogata Yatsura
by Moonhawk
Summary: Backstories for how my ball-jointed dolls (BJDs) came to live with me. In chronological order. Youzen (AR LF Ren), Kivanos (CP DF Elf Yder), Kiyt (BC Kumi), Nathan (VS Kakeru), Hadar (VS Tsubaki), Niou (VS Hasekura Tsunenaga), Kenya (VS F30), Sakuya (VS Chiyo)
1. Youzen

"Hey, it's that pretty lady and her son again!"

"Shhh! Don't go near her, she's a wicked woman."

"But why? She's so pretty!"

"Isn't that the..."

"Yes, she's… "

Unfazed by the negative comments, Youran smiled grimly as she pulled her infant son closer to her and continued walking through the marketplace, her head held high. The negativity around her from the ignorant villagers had long since ceased to have any effect on her. She was determined to live her life, or what remained of it, to the fullest. A couple of days ago, she had been diagnosed with a terminal blood-related disease. Their little town lacked the resources or technology to cure her, and she had no funds to spare to even think about medical treatment from the capital city.

Her biggest worry was her beautiful five-year-old son, Youzen. How would he be able to survive after she was gone? Her only hope was her spinster sister, who lived in a larger town quite a distance away. The older woman had agreed to take care of him on the condition that most of his expenses would be paid for. Thus, Youran was currently earning as much money as she could to pay for their journey and his educational fees in future. Half a year was simply not enough time, and the doctor had warned her that for the final month, she was likely to be bedridden. But that was still in the future. Meanwhile, she had to take care of their daily needs.

"I'm sorry, we have already found a replacement. The position has been filled." With that, the door was slammed in her face. Sighing, Youran resisted the urge to scream and flash a dirty sign at the door. Youzen was looking teary-eyed. She quickly knelt down to hug and comfort him. Maybe she shouldn't have brought him along. But then, leaving him at home would not be very safe either. With her two jobs, she hardly had enough time for him and she felt guilty about that. To add to that, there was the off-chance that someone might pity the both of them and give her another job. Well, for now she had to go on to her next appointment. She started to walk, but a tug on her skirt stopped her.

"Mother, why don't they give you the job?" asked Youzen, frowning. "The man looked like he was lying. And the sign is still up there."

Youran smiled at him. His perceptiveness never failed to surprise her. "It's ok, dear. Maybe they didn't have time to take down the sign yet."

"Is it because of me?" he asked in a small voice.

"Of course not! You're a sweet little child, there's no reason why they would not want me to work here because of you," she replied, ruffling his short, light-coloured hair.

"Mother already has two jobs… why does Mother get another?" he asked earnestly. "I want Mother to have more time to be with me."

Smiling sadly, she took him in her arms and whispered, "You're right, Mother should spend more time with you, right? We'll just go to the next appointment and after that we'll go home, ok?"

"Ok! Sure!" He replied, his little face lighting up with joy at the thought.

6 months later…

"Youzen…"

"Mother, I'm here." Small hands carefully held thin, pale ones. Youran smiled weakly at her son's face so near to her own. His large eyes mirrored his concern and a deep sadness. "What is it?"

"I want you to be a good boy and listen to your aunt…"

"But she doesn't like me… and I don't like her either." He said the last in an undertone, looking away.

Upon receiving the news that she was bedridden, her sister, Meiran, had moved over temporarily and was currently taking care of both mother and son. In front of Youran, she was the perfect guardian, to the extent of playing catch with the small boy. However, when she was alone with the boy, she ignored him totally. Youran could tell that Youzen had reason to be unhappy with his aunt, but she kept her peace, for there was no other solution available.

"I'm sure it's your imagination, dear. Your aunt is a very caring person and she has been good to us both," she said, attempting to squeeze his hand.

"I don't want Mother to leave!" Youzen wailed abruptly. "Mother will surely get better! Then I won't have to stay with Aunt Meiran…"

Meiran entered the room. "Youzen! Don't shout here, your mother is sick, you know? She won't get better if you keep shouting," she scolded. "Go outside and play!"

Youzen glared at her, but meekly left upon seeing Youran's signal. He turned around for one last look at his mother then quietly closed the door behind him. Meiran waited for him to move out of hearing range before turning to her younger sister. "You really shouldn't let him see you like this," she remarked, fussing around with the blankets. "He'll be so sad to see you go."

"I know, but I can't help wanting to see him as often as I can," sighed Youran. "Besides, he understands about my illness."

"How can he? He's only a kid! I'm sure he's very smart for his age, and obedient too, but my dear Youran…"

"Please, sis, take good care of him. I know you don't like kids very much, but…"

"Of course I will. He's your only son, after all. If that good-for-nothing who left you ever comes back, I'd-"

"Don't talk about him that way!"

Youran lay back gasping after her sudden outburst. Her sister immediately started fussing over her again. She sighed and closed her eyes. Her husband had never returned, but she never lost hope of seeing him again. Meiran had never forgiven him for leaving her precious only sister and had sworn never to marry because of that. The sisters had been very close since young and Meiran had always resented the fact that Youran had chosen to leave with 'that soldier', as she called him. This was part of the reason for her hostility towards Youzen, but she also felt that she had to take care of the kid to fulfil her promise to her sister. It broke her heart to see Youran slowly wasting away and getting weaker as each day went by, and she had to suppress her surge of jealousy whenever her sister chose to spend time with her son instead of with her.

"Sis… How much time do you think I have left?"

"Don't talk about such things, my dear Youran," she reprimanded softly. "You still have a long way to go. There's always hope for a miracle to happen."

"A miracle… yes, that would be nice. I would like so much to see little Youzen grow up and find someone he loves…"

However, the miracle never came. Youran passed away a week later, leaving behind a devastated son and sister. Meiran soon sold the tiny house and brought Youzen with her to her house in the town. Once she figured that he preferred reading to playing with other kids, she bought him a veritable library of books so that he would leave her alone apart from having meals together. Even during their rare times together, the boy was taught never to speak unless spoken to and above all, not to bother adults with childish questions.

Poor Youzen received his lessons on life from his books and from observing the people in the street. He was sent off to a boarding school in a neighbouring town the moment he came of schooling age, at five. At that time, he already knew much more than the average student, but he was severely lacking in lessons on human interaction. He had no idea on how to make friends or even to hold a conversation with his peers. As a result, he kept to himself most of the time. The teachers loved this knowledgeable, intelligent, quiet boy – a rarity in those days. However, this only alienated him further from his peers. He was visibly shunned by the other students, to the point that everyone kept a radius of at least a metre away from him.

The rumours spread that his 'disease' of intelligence might spread to them. Youzen was hurt at first, but soon ignored them. Gradually, he even found amusement in his situation and 'accidentally' went close to random people in school just to see how they reacted. But for the most part, he concentrated on his love of knowledge and learning. He discovered that he had a remarkable talent of remembering musical tunes after only hearing them once. He tried out several instruments, but found himself most comfortable with the guitar and the flute. After learning the fingering on the instrument, he was able to play almost any tune he heard. The teachers were of course delighted at this and the headmaster often found opportunity to show off this 'star student' to other schools.

When the news reached Youzen's aunt, she also took full advantage of his talents for her own selfish purposes, making him give solo concerts in different towns. Naturally, Youzen received no payment whatsoever for his services. At first, he was glad that people finally liked him, but he soon realised that it was only his talent that made him valuable. Disappointed and disillusioned with the world, he stopped playing music for a whole year.

It was the encouragement from a newly transferred teacher that finally convinced him to play again. The bespectacled Mr Kogata was a tall, dark-haired man from a foreign country who had heard about this talented boy and came all the way to teach in the school. Youzen was slightly intimidated by him at first. No other teacher in his school had such intense eyes that had a way of piercing through one's soul. And yet, those intense eyes could turn kind, or sad, in a literal blink of an eye. The other boys were also somewhat held in thrall by him, not daring to disobey his commands and yet trying their best to strive for his approval. Even though Mr Kogata was unfailingly fair to everyone and took interest in all of their lives, Youzen couldn't help feeling that the good-looking teacher somehow had a special interest in him.

"Mr Youzen, a word with you, please," Mr Kogata's pleasant baritone cut through the noise of the end of classes for the day.

Youzen swallowed uncomfortably before turning innocent eyes to face his teacher. He had hoped to sneak out of class amongst the crowd of other students but had been spotted before he had gone a couple of steps. "Sure thing, Mr Kogata," he replied, trying not to avoid the teacher's eyes as he spoke.

Several students glared at him and one rude boy actually shoved him aside as he tried to re-enter the classroom. Rolling his eyes, Youzen slowly made his way through the human traffic and stood before his teacher, awaiting judgement.

Silently, Mr Kogata closed the door to the classroom before returning to his desk. "Forgive me if I'm wrong, but you seem to have been avoiding me for the past week," he said, going straight to the point.

The thirteen-year-old winced inwardly. He should have known that Mr Kogata would not be fooled so easily. He lifted his head up proudly and said frankly, "Yes, I have, sir. I have felt that your interest in me is more than just a passing concern for a student."

Mr Kogata raised his eyebrows. "And how did you come by that conclusion?" he asked in a neutral tone.

"Well…," Youzen hesitated, unsure if his next answer would disappoint his teacher. "It's just a gut feeling, sir. I cannot explain it very well."

To his surprise, Mr Kogata threw his head up and laughed. "That's interesting," he said, chuckling. "Most of the time, I wouldn't trust any other student who said that. But since it's you… Not to mention the fact that you're right, of course."

Youzen's eyes widened. "Sir, I…" his eyes darted around the room, as if looking for an escape. "What interest could you possibly have in me?"

"Relax," Mr Kogata said, raising his hands inoffensively. "I don't mean to scare you. It's just that… I kinda see a bit of my younger self in you. I guess that makes me a bit more protective of you?"

The boy folded his arms uncomfortably, frowning at his teacher.

"I've read up on your personal history," continued Mr Kogata. "You haven't exactly had a good life, unlike most of the other rich kids in this school. And don't say that you're also rich. Material wealth is not all that counts in this world."

"Isn't it?" For a moment, Mr Kogata had a glimpse into sad, green eyes that reflected endless disappointments, loneliness and dejection. The boy soon looked away, staring out of the classroom window. "What does it matter? Once I've graduated from this school, I'll find a job and earn more money than anyone. I'll get married and have kids and make sure that they'll have a better life than I did."

"That's not the way it works," said Mr Kogata quietly.

"What?" Confused, the boy looked up at his teacher.

"Youzen, you don't have any friends in this school, do you?" Mr Kogata's piercing eyes caught his and held them.

"I… no," he said, forcing his eyes away to look at the ground. "And I'm not interested in having friends either. They just make use of you."

"Do I make use of you?" the teacher asked.

Youzen regarded his teacher warily. What was he getting at? "Not yet, sir."

"That's an honest answer. The point of having friends is to make mutual use of each other, not only in doing things, but emotionally, people need someone to rely on in times of need," he replied. "I know this sounds a lot like preaching, but it's true. Relying on oneself is not enough to support you through life, Youzen."

The boy thought about this for a while. "But sir, when I need emotional support, I sometimes talk to characters in books. They're my friends."

"I have friends like that too, but wouldn't it be nice if they were real people?" said Mr Kogata, smiling. "When you talk to these invisible friends, you know exactly what they'll say next, but when you talk to real people, they often surprise you. Isn't that true?"

"Yes, but the boys in class are quite predictable. They usually just sneer or laugh at me," said Youzen with a half-smile.

"Well, for starters, would you consider me a friend?" Mr Kogata asked.

Youzen looked scandalized. "Is… is that allowed, sir?"

"Of course it is! And whoever says it isn't must report to me for detention immediately," said the teacher jokingly.

The boy grinned in appreciation.

"But sir, there is no precedent for this!"

"In that case, I'll just be the pioneer then," said the tall man with a half-smile. He removed his spectacles and calmly started cleaning them with a black handkerchief.

A petite, dark-haired woman stood up and retorted, "Your request is outrageous, sir! Do you not realise that—"

The headmaster's voice cut in sharply. "Madam, please let me continue." He stared at her until she resumed her seat meekly. "Mr Kogata, I'm afraid we have to refuse your request. A teacher is simply not allowed to adopt a student in this country."

Mr Kogata put on his spectacles again and looked up at the headmaster. "Well, that makes things simpler, doesn't it? Especially since I'm handing in my resignation today and will leave the country tomorrow."

His firm statement left the headmaster and school counsellor speechless. "Since I have your approval, I'll go and meet the guardian right now. With your leave, sir." Mr Kogata stood, placed a letter on the table, and gave the headmaster a slight bow before he exited the room.

Only when the door closed with a click did the Headmaster resume motion. He sank down on his seat wearily, rubbing his temples and sighing. "Is… is he allowed to do that, sir?" asked the school counsellor hesitantly. "I thought…"

"I don't know anymore…" replied the Headmaster tiredly. "Ever since he stepped into our school, I knew he was going to be trouble. But I couldn't very well refuse him entry when he had the backing of the Minister for Education, could I?"

"That's true, sir. He's no longer our problem now, thank God," said the counsellor.

"Amen to that, madam."

During this time, Mr Kogata was already on the train with Youzen, on the way to visit his aunt's house. The fourteen-year-old couldn't believe his luck. Things were finally looking up for him after such a long time. Holding tight to Mr Kogata's hand, Youzen stared out of the train windows with new eyes. He'd almost forgotten what happiness felt like after his mother died. In the past year since the talk with Mr Kogata, he'd gradually made friends with some of his classmates. He discovered that some of them were not as ignorant and belligerent as he thought they were. Of course, there were those who were as ignorant and belligerent as he thought they were, but those didn't really matter.

When Mr Kogata had announced the news that he wanted to adopt him and take him away to live in another country, he almost could not believe his ears. He was a little sad to part with his newfound friends, but he knew that better things awaited him. Of course, there was a chance that his aunt would refuse to let him go, but he figured that she would probably be glad to get rid of him.

Which was, in fact, the case. Meiran made a great show of how sad she would be if she was separated from Youzen, but it was clear to both of them that all she wanted was some monetary compensation. Youzen was soon made to stay outside while Meiran and Mr Kogata 'haggled' for his price and they settled the adoption papers. Disgusted at his aunt's materialism, Youzen sat moodily on the porch, randomly pulling up bits of grass from the lawn. When Mr Kogata finally reappeared at the door, he generously allowed his teary aunt to hug him good-bye before picking up his few belongings and turning his back resolutely on the house.

Mr Kogata was shaking his head as they left the house. "The woman haggles like a Ferengi," he muttered to himself.

Youzen looked puzzled, but duly apologised on her behalf. "I hope she didn't ask for too much money from you, sir."

"It's not a big problem, Youzen. And you don't have to call me 'sir' anymore," said Mr Kogata, smiling.

"Oh. Then what do I call you? Kogata-san?"

"Hmm… That's a good question. You can call me Kogata or Kiyoshi, I guess. Just don't call me your father or something. I'm more like your adopted brother or uncle," said Kogata.

"Kiyoshi…niisan*? I think it would be weird addressing you as an uncle," said Youzen, smiling.

"That's fine with me," replied Kogata.

"Well, if you're not my adopted father, then who is?"

"I guess… she's more like your adopted mother?" said Kogata, rubbing his beardless chin. "Although she doesn't like to be called something so old, and from the way she behaves, you'll think that she's younger than even you, sometimes."

"Is she your sister?" asked Youzen curiously. "You seem to know her very well."

"Not really… but you can say so. It's quite complicated."

"It's ok, we'll have time as we travel, won't we? What's her name?"

"She's usually known as Karei to her friends, but she has many other names too. To simplify things, you can just call her 'Karei-san'," said Kogata.

"Karei-san," said Youzen, testing out the name. He was somewhat discomfited that Kogata would not be the one taking care of him, but he hoped that things would turn out ok. "Er… Is there anything else you haven't told me, Kiyoshi-nii?"

"Actually… yes." Kogata took a deep breath before continuing. "This may be hard to believe at first, but there's several important things you have to know. Firstly, I was sent here specifically for you, or for someone like you."

"Huh?" Youzen asked intelligently.

"Karei-san sent me here specifically to bring a boy back with me. I'm not actually from your world," said Kogata seriously, his intense eyes searching Youzen's.

"Y-you're saying… you're an alien?"

"No, I'm human, just not from this dimension. As I told you, it's complicated," said Kogata.

"Oh great. The next thing you're going to say is that you're some twenty-foot giant," said Youzen sceptically.

Kogata stared at him in surprise. "How did you know that? Your 'gut feeling'?"

"What?! You don't mean to tell me that it's true?" the boy looked incredulous. This had to be some sort of joke. "You certainly don't look like a giant, Kiyoshi-nii."

"That's because we haven't crossed the dimensional barrier yet," replied Kogata calmly.

"I don't get what you mean…" Youzen's thoughts were a whirl. Either this man was crazy, or he was. He couldn't even think clearly anymore. What had he gotten himself into? Where were they headed? He fell silent, not sure what to believe. Youzen gazed dumbly out of the window. A few moments later, he realised that he was looking at distinctly alien territory. The green trees and blue sky had given way to a weird whirl of colours. Red, white, orange, yellow and countless other unidentifiable colours whizzed past without registering a clear image in his mind. He sat back in his seat, staring at Kogata in apprehension.

"Let me assure you, Youzen, we sincerely want to give you a better life. I know this is hard for you now, but I promise to protect you from any danger, ok?" Kogata said earnestly. "Karei-san's put me through some seriously tough missions. This is nothing much compared to those, trust me."

Youzen could see that he was telling the truth, strange and amazing as it was. Wherever they were headed, the end of the road couldn't be any worse from where he came from. He took a deep breath and relaxed slightly in his seat. Kogata smiled encouragingly at him. The tall man took out folded metal object from his bag. "If it helps, I can introduce you to Karei-san."

"Is that a magic communications box?"

"Close enough. It's called a laptop. Through it, I can connect to the Internet, which connects people from all over the world," explained Kogata.

"Really? How remarkable," said Youzen, soon forgetting about his fears as he listened to Kogata's explanations.

They were on the inter-dimensional train for a total of six hours. The more Youzen learned about the internet and the laptop, the more interested he became. Kogata even introduced him to moving pictures called 'anime', and naturally, he was hooked almost immediately. When they reached their destination, he was slightly disappointed that he was not able to learn more until Kogata assured him that there was much, much more for him to learn.

The moment they stepped out of the train, Youzen was treated to a nasty shock. For some reason, everything around him had become disturbingly huge. In fact, when Kogata stepped out of the train, he found that he barely could see his adopted brother's kneecap. In a moment of vertigo, he swayed and almost fell. Kogata caught him easily and lifted him to his shoulder. "Are you all right?" he asked softly.

"I didn't expect the size difference to be so much," confessed Youzen, holding tight to the man's neck.

"Don't look down," Kogata warned.

The boy sneaked a peek and was rewarded with another wave of dizziness. He held his head and closed his eyes. "Uh, please inform me if you're going to be sick, ok?" said the bespectacled man. "Just look ahead and enjoy the scenery."

"Y-yes, Kiyoshi-nii," said Youzen, setting his chin and firmly gazing forwards. "I've always wanted to go on an adventure like the characters in books, but actually being on one is a different story entirely."

"There's a lot more surprises waiting for you, but now that you have a new family, we'll always be there for you."

Youzen smiled and held on tighter to his newfound brother. "Thank you, Kiyoshi-nii. You can't imagine how much those words mean to me."

 _*Niisan or nii for short means 'brother' in Japanese. The suffix -san is a term of respect._


	2. Kivanos

Stardate 2395.24

Kogata materialised in a dim section of the laboratory. Taking care not to make a sound, he made his way past suspicious-looking aquariums and typically-mad-scientist-lab-like enormous cylinders filled with a bluish glowing liquid. He shook his head. Some people simply lacked imagination, especially since this was already the 24th century.

Hearing some footsteps, he backed into a corner as two lab assistants walked by, muttering about being unpaid after three months. Genetic experimentation and cloning was indeed expensive, although in this century, the technology was advanced enough to be affordable by influential scientists. From what he knew of the head scientist of this lab, he knew that the man was anything but poor. Perhaps he was just stingy? It did not matter. Whatever he was saving for was going up in smoke very soon.

He reached the main section of the laboratory without setting off any alarms, dressed as he was in a nondescript lab coat, holding a folder and looking vaguely preoccupied. "You certainly took your time, didn't you?" came an irritated voice.

Kogata looked up in feigned surprise to see a thickset man in a black lab coat ranting at him. "I called for those results 15 minutes ago! What has your section been doing?! I'm so going to dock your pay! As well as the pay of your section leader, hell, everyone in your section!"

Several of the assistants in that section winced and gave him apologetic glances. Amused, he said nothing and continued to look at the irate scientist.

"What's so funny?! You find being poor funny? That's it! You're fired! I don't need any of your kind here!" The man continued to rant and rave as the other assistants turned and assiduously continued their work.

That was interesting. Apparently the scientist did not recognise him. Maybe it was the hair? Kogata frowned, trying to remember how he looked like the last time he was in this dimension. Oh right, a Star Fleet uniform and a haircut within regulations. He sighed. He was not about to wear that nearly skin-tight outfit just for the sake of this lunatic, but perhaps he could do something about the hair.

Putting down the file, he sauntered over to the nearest sink and started washing his hands, then combing his hair back with his fingers. The scientist has fallen silent and was staring dumbly at him, outraged at his insolence. Well, he'll soon be stuck dumb with an entirely different emotion.

He turned back to face the man, tilting his head to one side and striking a pose for effect. The thickset man's eyes finally widened in realisation. "Y-you!"

Rolling his eyes at the typical reaction, Kogata stepped towards the now pale, sweating and now obviously terrified man. "Yes, it's me. And you've been doing something that you're not supposed to be doing."

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about, Lieutenant Commander Kogata," stuttered the scientist, backing away from him.

"I really would hate to state the obvious, Dr. Viloras, but I am here to see that all your research ends today. And by the way, I'm not really a Lieutenant Commander."

All work had ceased in the lab, there was now a relative silence, broken only by the incessant hums of the machines. The assistants all watched them, wondering what would happen and if they were never going to be paid after all.

Clapping his hands, Kogata announced, "Everyone else may now leave the lab. You will find shuttles to your home planets awaiting you at the port. Please leave in an orderly manner, as soon as possible."

He watched as the assistants moved as a group, not one questioning his orders, as if relieved that they no longer had to work there. Had he just done them a favour? Certainly it was obvious that the mad scientist was not a very good boss to work under, but still...

Dr. Viloras was still too frightened to move, but his mouth open and shut like a goldfish as he saw all his workers leave. His eyebrow twitched and Kogata could see that his fear was in the midst of a transition to fury. Three... two... one...

"You can't do this to me! I've paid all these workers, for all these equipment...!"

"Apparently not as often as they would have liked," said Kogata, seating himself down on the scientist's abandoned chair. "Now, will you destroy everything yourself, or do you need me to help you with that?"

The scientist still had difficulty accepting the fact that all his lifework was about to be destroyed by this nondescript-looking young man. He clenched and unclenched his fists, then decided to bargain. "How about I show you the results of my latest work? Would that change your mind?"

Kogata raised an eyebrow. "I'm already intimately familiar with most of it, but why not. It's not like I have a curfew or anything. Keep in mind, though, if you try to alert any sort of authorities, you'll only bring trouble on yourself."

The man appeared unfazed by his comment, and gestured towards the large computer screen in the middle of the lab. A list appeared on it, running through from the numbers 0001 to 3999. "I have created a total of four thousand experiments within these ten years, and regrettably, only the last six hundred or so could be classified as living beings. And all these were from your DNA!"

If the scientist had planned to shock Kogata by that comment, he was not as clever as he seemed. The young man stood up, suppressing a yawn. "Is that all you wanted to show me? What about a tour of the lab instead? Seeing actual clones might actually be interesting."

Without waiting for the scientist to protest, he walked towards the nearest cylinder that appeared to contain a humanoid figure. The bluish glowing liquid hid some of the features, but he could see the resemblance between them. It was somewhat creepy to gaze upon one's doppelganger. Well, that was to be expected if they were all clones made from his genetic material.

His eyes fell on what appeared to be an empty cylinder. The number written below was #3407. Just barely one of the so-called 'living beings'. Unlike the others, this one was tiny, barely a third of a normal human size. Kogata glanced questioningly at the scientist, who simply shrugged. An experiment gone wrong, apparently. Upon closer inspection, he could see that the miniature was complete in every way, except for the fact that it possessed pointed ears. An elf? Or more likely Vulcan, in this dimension.

Surveying the rest of the clones, Kogata was suddenly filled with revulsion. Not only had this mad scientist messed with the space/time continuum, he had trespassed into a territory that was not meant for mortal beings to tamper with. No wonder she wanted this place destroyed. He turned back to look at the miniature again. But perhaps, a souvenir? This little clone of his seemed more like a toy than anything, but he felt something like a kinship for it. After all, he himself had been created on something close to a whim as well.

Placing his hands on the glass cylinder containing the miniature, he concentrated and caused a force-field to surround it alone. Once that was done, he turned to the scientist. "I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you or your research to continue any further."

The terrified scientist turned as if to run, but it was already too late. Mentally linking with the main computer of the laboratory, Kogata had issued the command to auto-destruct at the moment he entered the lab. One by one, the machines went into overload and klaxons started to sound all over the place. Multi-coloured alarm lights in various shades of yellow and red flashed here and there, creating an almost disco-like atmosphere.

In spite of all the chaos surrounding him, Kogata calmly walked back to the miniature's tank and extracted it, still with the force-field around it. He gave the lab a last cursory inspection before shaking his head and dematerialising.

He materialised in a familiar tiny room. "Mission accomplished," he said, almost nonchalantly. "Here's a souvenir."

He handed the bundle of cloth to the young woman seated in front of a large computer screen. Holding it with extreme care, she unwrapped the bundle and gazed at the contents, looking pleased. "Very interesting. I'm sure Youzen will be so excited to finally meet him."

"It's the other way around, if you ask me. He'll be quite a handful though. Do take care of him."

"Oh? Emotion from you? That's refreshing." She smiled up at him.

Ignoring that comment, he continued, "Have you decided on a name for him yet?"

"He's going to be called Kivanos," she said, smoothing back long, silky hair from the miniature's eyes. "Thank you, Kiyoshi. For bringing him back."

He grunted a reply before turning to leave. "The next mission's not due for a while," she said to his back. "You deserve a short holiday. Go wherever you like."

"Thanks. I have a feeling I might need it."


	3. Kiytiara

Warm darkness... strange vibrations in the air that Kiyt came to identify as sounds. A babble of excited voices, and several sounded upset and angry. Kiyt tightly closed her eyes, not wanting to leave the comforting darkness. Something soft and warm touched her forehead, and she finally opened her eyes to see what it was. The sudden bright light blinded her, and she blinked several times as things got into focus. Something moved in front of her face and she instinctively grasped at it, gazing in wonder at her hands and the new world she had entered into.

"Ahhh... she's so cute! Can I hold her?"

"Yeah... sure. But be careful... She has very fragile bones."

"She certainly looked delicate. What beautiful black hair she has... And what pretty eyes."

"Her eyes look like yours, dear."

"W-wait a minute... Hey... those eyes..." The woman speaking let out a small scream.

"What's wrong?! What- oh no..."

"One's green and the other's blue. She's a damn hybrid! Ugh..."

"Hey! Careful with her! Hybrid or not, she's still a baby."

"Who the hell cares about a hybrid?! Leave it alone to die somewhere."

"I say you should just stab it now and be done with it."

Someone started crying as the voices raised in pitch and volume.

"Throw it away in the dustbin outside. If you can't do it, let me!"

"Hold it! Someone will find out about this place... Take it to the edge of the city or something."

Kiyt was passed around roughly, hands that had been soft and comforting before now were rough and cruel. Feeling frightened and extremely uncomfortable at the new situation, Kiyt let out a loud cry.

"Oh great. Someone shut it up!"

"So who's going to do the job?!"

"Why don't you do it, since you have nothing to do until the evening comes."

"You're the same... why don't -you- do it?"

"You're the one who suggested it anyway."s

"Girls... please."

"Oh, fine! I'll take it and dispose of it."

"Good."

"Yeah-"

Kiyt was suddenly slapped across her cheeks to silence her cries and then handed over to someone, who covered her in a rag and carried her. She whimpered softly, not wanting to get hit again. Under the rag, she wiped away her tears with her tiny hands and felt a strange gurgling from within her midsection. Apparently, the person carrying her knew it too. The rag cover disappeared and she saw a woman's face looking down at her. She looked at her apprehensively, eyes wide. The woman's brows were knitted together and she bit her lip in indecision. "I'm sorry, kid. But this is a cruel world. It would have been better if you weren't born in it in the first place," she said softly.

The baby simply stared back at her, uncomprehendingly. "At least you're away from those bloodthirsty women for now. I won't kill you, and maybe you'll find some way to survive out there, even though it's highly unlikely." The woman shook her head. Why was she taking pity on a hybrid? She stared into the baby's large, odd-coloured eyes. 'The blue one is the same as her mother's,' she thought. 'However the green one...'

She was reminded of the time when -he- came.

Covered from head to toe with a large cloak, he had dashed into their 'house', panting heavily and begging them to hide him. Attracted by the sound of his velvety voice, she and the other women had moved closer, partly defensively and partly out of curiosity. The young, dark-haired woman who was Kiyt's mother sidled up to him and pointed a knife at his throat, demanding why they should harbour a fugitive.

The man was silent, but he took off his cloak, revealing a head of lustrous black hair and a superbly good-looking face. If he wasn't dressed in rags, they would have thought that he was from a well-bred family, or maybe even a prince. Flashing green eyes scanned the room before coming to rest on Kiyt's mother. Several of the women went forward eagerly, but Kiyt's mother stopped them, claiming that his looks alone would not do the trick. He raised his eyebrow at her, then glanced at the other women who were practically drooling. After that, he said something that none of them would ever forget. "There is no reason to help me, and benefit I could give any of you. But if you help me now, I swear on my life that I will repay back the favour in any way I can."

The women stared at him, then exchanged doubtful glances. Kiyt's mother gave him a speculative look, then removed her knife. "Fine. Your courage is admirable. You may stay... for the present."

Gratefully, he bowed elegantly towards her and kissed her hand. Jealousy surged through the other women, but they could do nothing about it. They hid him in a storeroom underground while the guards went past their establishment, only a couple staying to 'make inquiries within'.

The handsome man stayed only for a couple of days, after which he disappeared from their lives. However, she never forgot him, and Kiyt's mother was totally ruined by him. The woman was a were-wolf, and she had been a very strong-willed woman. At least before he came. Somehow, she had fallen in love with him and had expected him to take her away, or at least, to stay for a while. After he left, her character changed completely. She became weak and sickly, and if it wasn't for their former respect for her, they would have thrown her out long ago.

The woman now knew that the man had been a hybrid. But was Kiyt's mother the same? She had heard rumours about what happened to hybrid offspring. But what about the hybrid offspring of hybrids? Shaking her head to clear the thought, her steps slowed as she soon reached the edge of the town. Not wanting to look at the baby again, she covered it up with the rag and left it beside a rubbish pile.

Two shadows came out of the woods and stealthily moved towards the small bundle. Kiyt had fallen asleep some time during the journey, but she soon woke up feeling cold and still hungry. She let out a whimper, and heard quiet, soothing voices reply.

"It's alive! Let's take it back to base!"

"You carry it, I need to prepare magic in case anyone sees us."

"Sure, but I have no idea how to carry a baby."

"Sheesh, and you still call yourself a woman, Larali?"

"I'm only seven! What do you expect?! Plus I've only been among you guys all my life."

"Fine, I'll carry it, but you better learn soon, if you want to keep it."

"Duh. Who can rely on you guys for anything?"

"Whatever, we've already made too much noise. Let's get out of here."

Kiyt was aware of being handled clumsily and being carried to another place. When the cloth covering her face was finally removed, she blinked in surprise at the varied faces surrounding him. One had furry ears, one was blue, one had greenish scales and pointed ears. But all of them were smiling at her.

"She's adorable! What shall we call her?!"

"Er, Alera, you do know that technically, 'she's an 'it', right?"

"Shut up, Sevira. She looks female, so she's a 'she'."

"I know, let's call her Kiytiara. I've always wanted a child by that name."

"Whoa. Why are you acting so motherly suddenly, Larali?"

"Yeah, just because you're the only true female among us..."

"Haha. Don't be jealous, Qured. You're almost female yourself."

"What's that supposed to mean!" The androgynous, long-haired hybrid bristled.

"Shush, let's just call her Kiyt for short."

"That's cute. That'll do."

"Hi Kiyt, that's your new name, you know?"

"Hah! Like she'll understand."

"Hey, did she just smile at me?"

"What kind of hybrid is she anyway? I don't see any animal features at all. Just her odd-coloured eyes."

"Lucky her, she could pass off as a human in the city."

"Apparently not, or else she wouldn't have ended up in the rubbish dump. She was pretty lucky that we were out on a food hunt at the time."

"Let's introduce ourselves to her!"

"Sounds fun! I go first."

"As usual."

Kiyt was picked up by the blue-skinned and blue-haired female. "Hi Kiyt, I'm Larali. I'm too young to be your mother, but I can be your older sister. How's that?"

The next person was the furry-eared boy. "Erm, I'm not sure how to talk to a baby. Do I really have to do this?"

"Just say your name and pass her to me already, Ered."

Ered did so and passed her to the next person, the dragon-winged Pietha, who then passed her to the leader of the group, Alera. Sevira was next, and lastly, Qured, who shrieked and almost dropped her.

"HEY! What's your problem, Qured?!" came Larali's irate voice.

"Sh-she just turned into a snake!"

"What?! She's a shapeshifter?!"

"That's way cool!" exclaimed Sevira. "I've always wanted to meet one."

"Aww, she's back to human form now."

"But her hair colour changed! And so did her eyes!"

"That's awesome! Let me see!" Sevira pushed his way into the circle of kids holding the baby.

"Not too close! It's scaring her!"

"Shh! Someone'll hear us with the racket you guys are making," hissed Alera. "She's probably hungry and cold, let's get some food ready for her."

The hybrids took care of Kiyt and she grew up learning how to move quietly and to find her own food. However, on one fateful day when Kiyt was four years of age, there was a culling of hybrids in the city, and all her friends were either captured for experimentation or killed. Kiyt herself was severely injured and left for dead.

She lay on the killing ground, blood of all colours mingling around her. Red, bright blue, dark green and purple. What colour was her own? she wondered idly, not having the energy to sit up and look. She could barely even move her fingers. Things had happened so quickly she didn't even have the time to mourn her friends. Ah well, she was probably going to die soon. She felt so very sleepy. Maybe it was all a dream. Maybe tomorrow would be better. She slowly closed her eyes.

Cursing, Kogata ran to the clearing as fast as he could within the limits of the dimension. Most of the hybrids in the city had been killed by this time. Those that had been captured would be no better off, and security was so tight that even he would have a hard time attempting to rescue them. However, he still felt the presence of a small life that was slowly fading. At the clearing! One of them was still alive! He steeled himself for the sight of the massacre, but still, the multi-coloured blood shocked him a little. Gingerly picking his way across the mangled bodies, he headed straight for the life, but almost tripped over her. She was so tiny! He judged that she was four, almost five years old in human terms.

Quickly placing the chrono-dimensional shield, he started reconstructing the cells in her body. He had to work quickly. If any of the soldiers or even any townsfolk saw him, there would be trouble. Not only that, her condition was deteriorating despite the shield. He couldn't understand it at first, but realised that it was because her biology wasn't exactly human, although she appeared humanoid. Stopping his work, he reprogrammed the shield's parameters before continuing. This time, he succeeded. Leaning back in satisfaction, he watched as her complexion regained its pinkness and her wounds closed themselves. Then he realised his mistake.

In his rush, he hadn't adjusted the time setting properly. She would be stuck in the same age. And her memory would be seriously impaired. He shook his head in remorse. There was no use in crying over spilt milk. Maybe it was better for her this way. She wouldn't remember her friends' deaths or her tough life here.

Gently picking her up, he teleported back to his own dimension.


End file.
